Unpopular Love
by Katy Rain Muhle
Summary: What if the incident Tomoko had with Megumi had lasting effects? What if Megumi's word's of praise meant more than just kind gestures? Find out here. TomokoxMegumi. Warning: yuri.
1. Chapter 1

**Aurthor's Notes: I started watching Shingeku no Kyojin but recently finished watching Watamote and inspiration just came to me. I liked how they ended with Megumi inadvertently flashing her underwear in Tomoko's face(Tomoko's reaction had me laughing). But seriously, that was a funny season. Tomoko is both a sympathic girl and a crazy bitch at the same time, both are very apealing to me and I loved Megumi's character. Those two are my favourite couple in the series. So here's a one-shot that could easily become more...**

"Love is a battlefield!" Actual words.

'I'm hungry.' Thoughts.

**Story...**

"Her name is Kuroki-san," a girl told her friends. "Kind of cute, don't you think?"

"Uhh... Is she?" one girl questioned.

"She's always determined to do something," the first continued, "I guess you could say, she always catches my eye."

Imae Megumi would never have thought those words would come back to haunt her. She was a popular girl, used to saying exactly what was on her mind and had a carefree and polite attitude towards life; she had her life in her hands: her future goals; her current goals - she could envision everything quite clearly for her age. How did she not see this coming?

It didn't even seem like a big deal in the beginning. She was just stating the obvious, wasn't she? Tomoko Kuroki was a cute girl, wasn't she? Judging by the disbelieving and incredulous stares from her friends, Megumi had suspicions that they didn't buy it. But why? How could anyone not see the girl for what she was? Megumi didn't understand their behaviour; so to make up for the time she hardly knew her fellow student, she started watching Tomoko more closely.

She would always catch glimpses of the girl for many days - Megumi made sure not to stem from her goals - and started seeing a pattern that both startled and surprisingly hurt her.

Tomoko had no friends.

The girl would always be seen alone, meekly muttering to herself and looking on at other's endeavours, being completely ignored by everyone else.

At first Megumi refused to believe what she was seeing, but after third semester began, and the same signs continued to show, she couldn't deny what was obviously bare to her.

It didn't make any sense? Why would a determined girl like Tomoko be treated like a none existent ghost? Even people that would talk right next to her ignored the poor thing. Megumi's kind nature couldn't let that remain evident.

At first, she wondered why she was taking such a great interest in Tomoko. At first, she convinced herself that it was due to her friendly attitude. At first, that was all there was to it.

But overtime, she realised the exact reason why. Her kind nature had played a role in the effort, true, but her heart had been informing her of something more...

She was hopelessly starting to crush on the meek slender girl. The blushes; the increased heart rate; the sweaty palms; the sudden twinge of nervousness; it was all there for Megumi, and it was all because of Tomoko.

Rememeber the saying, 'If you love someone, then only you can see just how beautiful they are'? That's exactly how Megumi felt.

The second year student didn't even know how it happened, or why, but it just did. Maybe it developed discreetly overtime, but when it did hit her, it hit Megumi hard.

Normally, she was the one on the receiving end of such crushes. Guys and girls alike sought her, and liked to state their interests more, but Megumi would always gently let them down, telling them over that she needed to sort herself out first before she can seek a relationship. It wasn't as if they were ugly, quite the opposite, and she didn't even care about looks, but the class rep didn't share anyone's interests or attraction. Her goal was to finish school first and then look for the right person to give her heart to...

Until Tomoko had to come and ruin everything.

It didn't even make any sense. Sure, they shared a hug at the cultural festival - to which Tomoko should still be oblivious to - but aside from that, they hardly talked to each other.

So how did she do it? How did Tomoko pass her defences - defences that negated all attacks - without even any effort?! Really, the raven-haired girl hadn't even lifted a finger and the class rep was already drooling at the thought of her. Megumi had been beside herself at the astonishing revelation - spending days entertaining ruminations.

After three days, and a lot of self analysis - which involved a hard self interrogation - Megumi had come to accept her predicament. It didn't even matter that she was in love with another girl; love was love in the end.

So after accepting her new found feelings, problems started to arise. For one, how could she begin to approach the subject with Tomoko, a girl she hardly knew? She couldn't just outright say it, no... Well, yes, she could - she never lacked in confidents - but due to this being her first real crush on someone, something she was both pleased and uncomfortable with, she didn't want to come off as too strong or too weak, possibly chasing Tomoko away.

Her usual brazen attitude could aid her in losing a potential love interest. Finish high school first? She could easily get the girl and great test scores at the same time; she wasn't known as the class rep for nothing... That's when she realised that she might have fallen a little too deep for Tomoko.

It was ridiculous for her. This had never happened before, not to such a degree, and the more Megumi fought off the feeling, the stronger it got.

After a couple of more weeks, Megumi found herself in positions where she would be caught openly staring at the first year with a small blush on her face, always evading explanation. It had become so bad that she had started to have dreams of Tomoko, to the point were they ceased being innocent.

Megumi Imae had tried and failed to fight off the power of love. It had become too much for her to bear.

She... needed Tomoko. She needed to tell her just how she felt and hoped the first year would have at least some feelings towards her as well. She needed to hold Tomoko, convey to her just how serious this was. She just needed Tomoko, plain and simple. These emotions were constantly alternating, gnawing at her very being, harassing her to no end. Megumi always heard that love was a struggle, but feeling it for herself was entirely different. No, love was no freaking struggle, it was a raging war! Why did it exist anyway?!

'Calm down', she mentally chided, face a mask of content as she walked down the school halls with the lack of friends. Her shoes echoed as they made contact with the tiled floor.

She looked at her watch. It would be recess soon. She had special leeway as the class rep to excuse herself from class if something needed to be tended to. Something indeed needed to be tended to, and although she was a bit ashamed in abusing her status this way, she couldn't control what her heart wanted.

Yep, she was walking to Tomoko's class, preparing to surprise the girl and ask her to lunch. She had convinced herself not to go all in; to take things slow and when she was sure she could drop the bomb on Tomoko, she would.

Brushing a strand of hair behind her ear - only to calm down the nerves - she walked at her leisure, coming close to a class she knew Tomoko was situated in. She dropped her body on the wall next to the classroom's door and exhaled exasperatedly.

Eyeing the bento box in her hands, she nervously nibbled on a bottom lip. Was this really a good idea? Maybe Tomoko had developed a solo attitude and actually chose not to have friends? Megumi really hoped not; it would put all her contingency planning to the gutter.

Before she could muse any further, the school bell rang, signalling the beginning of lunch.

Megumi hurriedly made herself presentable: fixing posture, straightening clothes, creating a friendly aura. She waited patiently as students filed out of the classroom, some looking at her in confusion and wonder. She wasn't here for them however. Her eyes carefully scanned every individual head, making sure not to miss anything that signified Kuroki. When she saw the girl, her legs acted out on their own accord and before Megumi realised it, she was mere inches from Tomoko. The girl had yet to notice her.

"Kuroki-san," Megumi called, getting a surprisingly soft yelp from the short raven-head.

Tomoko turned her head, like a rusted screw, to the voice that called her. Her bag filled and frantic eyes immediately spotted Imae. Woah... Imae?

"Hi," Megumi started when it was obvious that the other wouldn't speak, "I was just walking down the halls and saw you walking out of class. Do you want to have lunch together?"

Megumi gave herself a mental pat on the back for a wonderful performance. However, worry soon started to set in with the lack of response.

"I-I-I..u-u-h-h... m-h" Tomoko sqeaked out with the occasional choke. She suddenly became aware that she had attracted a lot of attention from her classmates. A lot were staring at her in surprise and shock. Whether it was due to the second year class rep actually speaking to her or something else, Tomoko didn't know.

"Are you okay?" Megumi asked, frowning in worry.

"M-M-M-h-" Tomoko mechanically nodded her head, but her body shook and her hands started clamping down on her bento box like a vice.

Megumi's worries were increased tenfold, "Kuroki-san..!"

The girl was gone the moment Megumi blinked.

The class rep pouted. Damn! She let her get away!

Megumi had to disappointedly settle for eating lunch with her friends the entire break. It wasn't as if she didn't like her friends - she liked everyone - but she would have prefered to share lunch with her crush, getting to know the mystery that was Kuroki-san. But Tomoko had somehow found the means to disappear off the face of the planet. Megumi didn't understand. She didn't even force herself on the girl. So why did Tomoko run away from her? Yes, she knew about the girl's shyness, but was it really that bad? Once lunch was over, she began formulating other ways to get close to Tomoko.

She will not be deterred.

After school came agonizingly slow for the class rep - it didn't help that getting close to Tomoko was the thing that dominated her mind, distracting her from school work - but as soon as the bell rang, she made quick work in finding Tomoko, who was approaching the front gate.

"Kuroki-san!" She desperately called, mentally begging for the girl to wait for her. She would not let her get away this time.

Tomoko stopped and went rigid. It was a peculiar behaviour that Megumi noticed often. Not only did Tomoko seem distant, but she seemed scared when the rarity of people even spoke to her. Megumi squashed the pity she had originally felt for the short girl. Tomoko didn't deserve pity; she deserved admiration for being so strong in an unfamiliar environment, trying her best to crush the meek attitude so as even to say the simplest of words to anyone. Megumi cursed herself, pointing out Tomoko's flaws and strengths only seemed to reiterate the love she already felt fluttering inside her.

Tomoko stood like a statue, even as Megumi caught up to her. The day just kept getting weird for the first year.

The raven-haired girl was still unpopular, no one noticed her, the few that did were probably due to something stupid she did. Today had been no different. She had wanted to impress her classmates - males specifically - by increasing her bust size, using toilet paper, but soon realised that she might have applied too much of the sort. Her chest had looked like it was a result of some sort of alien allergy, she hadn't even noticed until she saw her reflection on the class window. It had been too late however, for the gossip she went under was anything but welcoming.

Why did those bitches have it easy?! Short skirts, enticing bods, cute faces and a bad girl style. Why did guys go for that?! Wasn't she pretty?! Didn't she have a unique style?!

She honestly felt very embarrassed, but refused to acknowledge the feeling. With that being said, she was fully prepared for her usual lonely routine. No one could be her friend because, and begrudgingly admitting it didn't make it any better, she didn't know how to talk to people outside her family. Hell, Yuu was the only exception, and even that was a stretch.

So she was surprised immensely by Megumi's sudden appearnce. She hadn't talked to the girl in months, not after that embarrassing moment with the pantie flash. In fact, she had lost interest in using the popular bitch to aid her in her own quest, choosing to squash the idea of the class rep ever helping her or even wanting to be her friend. Maybe Megumi was nice on the outside, but she was probably the same as any of those bitches she knew; the moment Tomoko stumbled on her words or did something embarrassing, she would be subjected to ridicule, which is what happened during lunch.

So why was Megumi back a second time around? Wasn't the first enough? The bitch had already enough gossip material to tell her friends about. 'Oh did you see? That Kuroki girl can't even speak Japanese!' Which would end up with them showing their disgust or laughing behind her back. And to be honest, Tomoko had been through plenty to not distinguish the signs...

Until now.

"Kuroki-san?" Tomoko snapped out of it and looked on to a concerned Megumi. "Is there something wrong?"

This time Megumi watched Tomoko like a hawk, taking note of her stiffness and stuttering; the girl looked like she was ready to bolt at any moment, but Megumi would have none of it.

Before Tomoko could make a run for it - well, she did make to move - Megumi latched her hand to the raven-head's, greatly surprising and horrifying the first year.

'Someone's actually touching me!' Tomoko's mind screamed. The girl continued to stare at the hand that had intertwined with hers in bewilderment. Her breath hitched in her throat; her hair stood on each end. Tomoko couldn't breath.

Upon noticing her hand's attention and Tomoko's face starting to turn a light shade of purple, Megumi couldn't help but blurt out, "I really want to walk you home!"

It was as if time stopped as the two girls realised the gravity of Megumi's words; said girl looking more flushed than she would have liked. She sounded like a boy trying to coax the girl he was crushing on to have him around. 'Which isn't entirely false', Megumi mentally conceded.

Tomoko's body shook, soft wimper's escaping her throat. She was too shocked at the turn of events that all she could do was stare, with crazy eyes, at the class rep.

"Please?" Megumi insisted when she noticed the first year's distress, "I promise not to bite."

It had meant to be a joke, but it only seemed to agitate Tomoko more. She started squirming in discomfort.

"I'm sorry!" Megumi hastely sputtered. "I was just joking, honest!"

It did some good, for Tomoko relaxed, albeit somewhat. Even though she noticed this, Megumi still held the girl's hand gently, like it was the most precious thing she had ever touched. She was lucky that Tomoko seemed distant, otherwise Megumi would have to explain why her face was aflame to such a degree.

"Can..." She was finding it much harder to ask, the nerves slowly starting to get the best of her, but she persisted none the less. "Can I walk you home, Kuroki-san?"

Tomoko looked at the second year class rep in confusion. On the one hand, Tomoko could just make a break for it when the time came... But on the other hand, this was the opportunity she had dreamed about. The popular girl, the class rep, actually conversing with her? It seemed like too much of a good thing to pass up, plus she didn't really know how to deny attention so readily.

The question that remained was why. Why was Megumi suddenly showing up around her? It couldn't be because Tomoko was popular; she had already rebuffed the prospect. So what was Megumi's angle? At the moment it seemed like Tomoko couldn't figure out the class rep's intentions.

"Mhmh" Tomoko mumbled incoherently, eyes darting everywhere as if searching for an escape, but soon nodded her head in confirmation.

Megumi beamed. "Great!" With that, she started dragging the younger girl with her to the gates.

"Kuroki-san, Imae-san..." a man at the gate addressed, looking a bit surprised at the two girls holding hands, but he soon smiled knowingly. "Be careful on your way home."

"Thanks, you too," Megumi replied as she happily walked hand-in-hand with her secret crush.

Tomoko could only sputter nonsense to the guy with a huge blush on her cheeks as she was led away.

The walk was silent, with Tomoko trying and failing to say something, but Megumi was okay with that for now. Baby steps; take baby steps, Tomoko-chan.

The class rep would take discreet glances at her crush - who was doing a bad job of acting oblivious - as she initiated conversation. Even though Tomoko would hardly reply, Megumi found the girl to be extremely cute when she was embarrassed.

One day she would know. Megumi would be sure to let her know.

'I'm sure of it now. Kuroki Tomoko, I'm in love with you.'

**Aurthor's Notes: There you have it! If you want more you can let me know. If not, then I hope you enjoyed the read!**


	2. Chapter 2

"Y-Yes" Tomoko said exasperatedly, carefully holding her cellphone as she lay on her bed.

"Yes, yes, Yuu-chan, I'm fine," Tomoko groaned. "School? Well it's been better..."

"Y-You wanna come and visit? But Yuu-chan, it's a Saturday and you don't live that close..." Tomoko knew how redundant that sounded, but she honestly didn't feel like seeing Yuu today. Comparing her relaxing silence to the whole Imae fiasco that happened a day prior, Tomoko just didn't want to do anything today.

"Ooh fine," Tomoko moaned in the reciever. "I-I do not sound like a baby!"

"Okay, see you then." Looks like there was no escaping it. Yuu was coming, whether Tomoko wanted her to or not.

Tomoko flopped on her bed. She was tired. Imae had spent most of the time trying to coax conversation out of her, and made their journey suspiciously longer, but she had kept quiet.

"That's because I won't let that bitch know everything about me. I am awesome after all and a little mystery always keeps 'em coming," Tomoko convinced herself, laughing all the more when she was sure that was the reason.

She soon sighed forlornly. Who was she kidding? Imae had approach completely out of the blue, so randomly that it left her bewildered.

"Maybe, she likes...?"

Nah, the bitch must have had a motive.

Tomoko's mind started working aimlessly, putting her in a park with Megumi; the sky was clear and they both occupied swings. Tomoko looked much more beautiful while Megumi remained the same.

"Tomoko-chan..?" Megumi said dreamily.

"Hmm?" Tomoko hummed, confirming her awareness to Megumi's call.

"I never met someone like you. You're loved by everybody! All the guys wanna bang you and the girls wanna be like you! How do you do it, Tomoko-chan?!"

"Simple," Tomoko waved dismissively, "I'm hot."

"Awww," Megumi whined, "I wanna be just like you! Who do I have to sleep with? Tomoki-kun?"

"Well... Wait, what!?"

"That's it!" Megumi exclaimed, smacking her hands together as a means of asserting her hypothesis, "I must sleep with Tomoki-kun! Only then can I become like you!"

The scene soon changed. Tomoko found herself outside her brother's room. She could clearly hear what was going on inside.

"Ooooh Tomoki-kun!" Megumi shouted.

"That's it, baby. Scream my name!" Tomoki joined her.

"Now that I have you, I don't need your loser sister!"

"That was the plan, wasn't it?"

"Shut up and keep making me a woman!"

As fantasy soon turned to reality, Tomoko was reeling from the daydream. She rushed out of her room and raced to her brother's. She opened the door, banging it with the force of her push. Her frantic eyes searched the room for any evidence of her brother doing the nasty with her class rep.

"What the hell!?" Tomoki screeched, desperately trying to hide some hentai manga under his pillow.

"Phew!" Tomoko breathed. "And here I thought you were busy screwing someone."

"Get out!" Tomoki ordered, embarrassed with the pospect of being discovered as growing boy.

However, Tomoko had failed to notice any of his 'hobbies' and walked into the room undeterred.

"Otouto, we need to talk."

"Get out."

"I've hit a bit of a snag."

"Get out."

"There's this girl at school. She's popular but I don't think she's all that. For some reason, she came to me and started hanging out with me. I didn't even ask, she just started talking to me out of nowhere..."

"... Get out?"

"Look, I know that I look like I have everything figured out in my life," Tomoki had to stifle a 'Yeah right' at that, "but I'm not sure what to do here. I don't think she wants to be my friend; I think she has ulterior motives."

"If I give you advice, then will you leave?" Tomoki grumbled, not at all happy with spending time with his weird sister.

"You're not giving me advice, just your opinion," Tomoko corrected arrogantly, failing to see the error of what she just said.

Tomoki had half a mind to throw her out of his window. 'Keep calm,' he told himself. Just get rid of her and everything would be fine.

"My **opinion**, would be that the girl likes you and wants to be friends. Now get out." If only he hadn't hurriedly explained what he thought of his sister's predicament, maybe she would have been out of his hair much sooner.

"Hmm. Maybe you're right."

Please, oh please, just get out already.

"Kuroki-san!"

"What?" Tomoko and Tomoki said in unison. They soon realised that neither of them called their last name.

"Kuroki-san!"

"It's coming from outside..."

Tomoko approached her brother's window. The moment she peered through, it was too late.

"Aha! There you are! Hey!" Megumi waved energetically.

Tomoko's eyes bulged and she swiftly hid on the side of the window.

"What are you doing?" Tomoki queried irritably.

'Crap, crap, crap!' Tomoko thought. What on Earth was Megumi doing here, on a weekend?!

"What's wrong with her?!" Tomoko blurted out.

"What? Is it that girl-"

"Shh!" Tomoko hissed, evidently thinking that keeping quiet would somehow chase all the bad stuff away.

Tomoki rolled his eyes. What would 'Shh' do? It was already too late.

"Kuroki-san? Kuroki-san! I saw you in that window!"

This was bad! Sooner or later, Megumi would cause a scene, and her mother wouldn't like that at all.

"Get rid of her!" Tomoko ordered her brother.

Tomoki sputtered, surprised with his sister's nervousness. She was always random, but her erratic behaviour was kind of frightening.

"Me!" He hissed back, "She's your problem!"

"Kuroki-san!" That, was definitely a whine.

"Excuse me, but can I help you?"

Tomoko knew that voice quite clearly.

Oh, crap.

"Oh! I'm so sorry. I wasn't sure if anyone could hear me."

"We have a front door..."

"Oops! Silly me! I'm out here screaming my head off and I could have just knocked!"

"... Anyway, are you looking for Tomoko? You're wearing the same uniform...on a Saturday."

"Yes! I had weekend duties but I was able to finish quickly. I came here just for her."

"Oh, okay. Well, I'm her mother."

"It's nice to meet you; my name is Imae Megumi."

"Well, step inside. No reason to cause a scene."

"Thanks and sorry again!"

Tomoko raced out of her brother's room.

Tomoki sighed and proceeded to lock the door. Once he was sure to be alone, he took out his hentai stash.

'Oh my God! She's in my house!' Tomoko's mind blared at her.

She was running to her room. On a normal day, it would be just a few steps away. Today however, it was miles from her.

She needed to get there, to sanctuary.

"Tomoko!" Her mother called.

Tomoko froze. Her dwindling chance just went up in smoke. She had no choice now. She had to see Imae.

Her legs were like lead. She felt like she was sinking in quicksand. Every step she took down the stairs felt like her last.

When she reached the ground floor, she immediately saw Megumi's piercing yet friendly eyes.

"What took you so long? She had been calling you more than once. Honestly, Tomoko, that's not how you treat your friends," her mother scolded.

"I-It's okay!" Megum hastily cut in. "I'm sure she was busy with something, right, Kuroki-san?"

"Mh-hn-mh!"

Her mother blinked at Tomoko. "What?"

Megumi was quicker to action. She quickly approached Tomoko and gently guided the girl upstairs. "It's okay... uh... Kuroki-san. I'll talk a little bit with Tomoko-chan."

The mother shrugged.

Tomoko was stiff as a board. Megumi's hand was still on her shoulder. It was so gentle and soft...

Did she just call her Tomoko-chan?

"Which one is your room?" Megumi questioned.

Knocked out of her stupor, Tomoko could only point out the room's position.

"Right, let's go." Megumi said.

They went into the room. It was spotless and tidy. Nothing seemed out of place.

'Nice and clean,' Megumi mentally praised. She proceeded to giggle. Who knew that her lover would be so compatible?

"I-Imae-senpai?" Tomoko forced out. She was still figuring out what the hell just happened. One moment, she was talking to Yuu; the next, she had Megumi in her room.

Her room.

With all her materials.

...

Oh, no.

"Yes, Tomoko-chan?"

Tomoko looked around her. Okay, everything seemed well-hidden.

"W-Why... um... a-are y-you here?"

Megumi lifted a bag that Tomoko had yet to notice. "I was kind of in rush to get here, so I didn't dress properly."

She rushed to get here? Tomoko did not know what that meant.

"Can I dress first? I'll explain things after."

Tomoko was confused and a little irritated by that, but nodded and pointed to her bathroom. "T-The b-"

Megum took off her shirt and skirt right then and there.

Tomoko's mind stopped as she stared at a semi-nude Megumi. Her body was so delicate and feminine. Any guy would be lucky to score that. Then her mind caught up to her.

Megumi was undressing right in front of her!

Tomoko's breathing laboured. She started for the door, but a firm hand grabbed her elbow.

Megumi had been prepared for that reaction. Her plan was not easy. She had to get Tomoko to be comfortable around her - as well as display everything she's willing to offer - the hard way.

It was a bit perverted, she would concede, but damnit, she couldn't wait anymore for her chance! This was her first love and she would be damned if she let anything stop her!

"It's okay, Tomoko-chan. I-I don't mind if you see me like this. In fact, I want to show you more, if you'd like."

**Sorry it took so long. I got finals coming up and need to study. But I had to give you guys at least this for so many reviews. Thanks for reviewing. Keep 'em coming, guys and thanks Zokusho for that. I apologise for being lazy here! Thanks for letting me know. Oh, yeah, I am South African, was it that easy to tell? Anyway, until next time!**

**PS: Since it isn't a one-shot anymore, I'll make the next chapter's longer, after my finals.**


	3. Chapter 3

… Eh? That was the only coherent thing that went through Tomoko's mind. It was one thing to have the second-year class rep in her house, it was a whole different story to hear her speak so brazenly about undressing in front of her.

Megumi watched Tomoko carefully. She watched as her eyes resembled tiny beads and the first year blinked at her. It was obvious that Tomoko was trying to process what she just heard.

'_Darn, too soon,'_ Megumi mentally chided. She came on too strong! The situation was backfiring. She felt mortified that her intentions had the opposite effect. Tomoko hadn't moved an inch.

Calm yourself, Imae Megumi, it's damage control time!

She quickly dressed up, even as Tomoko continued to stare into space.

For Tomoko, her mind was giving her a million ideas a minute. Imae's little comment overloaded her rational thinking, and she couldn't focus on anything else.

_Do you wanna have sex? Do you wanna have sex? Do you wanna have sex? Do you wanna have sex? DO YOU WANNA HAVE LESBIAN SEX?!_

_'Shut up!'_ Tomoko mentally screamed. She was going crazy. Imae Megumi seemed _way _too innocent to just up and ask for it... Even if Tomoko thought it was a natural reaction to her _beauty_. In fact, Megumi should be dry humping her by now. Yes, the bitch should be drooling to get a piece of Kuroki Tomoko.

Megumi finished putting on a cute yellow sundress, hiding her very lacy, black lingerie and sighed in relief. She turned to Tomoko and noticed her spacing out, shivering and chuckling creepily.

"Tomoko-chan?" she called worriedly.

Knocked out of her stupor, Tomoko shook her head viciously, trying to dissuade any weird fantasies. "Uh…y-yes?"

The poor thing, Megumi thought. She must have been so utterly confused with the come on.

"Are you okay?" Imae queried.

Tomoko nodded her head erratically. She had a completely lost look on her face.

Megumi felt like she needed to calm the awkwardness that built up. "Listen, about the clothes thing. I just wanted us to be closer. You know, skin-to-skin?"

How does seeing each other in the nude get people closer? Well, Tomoko was familiar with the whole thing in bathhouses (she watches copious amounts of anime).

"Mhm!" she agreed, nodding her head in forced acceptance. She felt a bit lightheaded. She really had no idea what to expect anymore.

Megumi looked at her watch, and beamed.

She turned to Tomoko again. "So, Tomoko-chan, do you have any plans today?"

Wait, plans? Why would Imae want to know that? Was she still acting crazy like yesterday? Besides, what could she want from her on Saturday?

"N-no, I don't have any," she answered truthfully. Part of her wanted to play along and figure out what Megumi was up to. Another part of her wanted to jump out of the window after Megumi gave her the weirdest look she ever saw.

Inside Megumi's head, she was carelessly dancing in revelry. Yes! Her Tomoko-chan was free today!

She suddenly turned around and hunched over in thought.

Tomoko had no idea what to make of her actions.

'_Okay, THINK, Megumi! You haven't started on a good note here. You almost blew it! Get your head out of the gutter!'_ Megumi smacked her face a few times. It was game time.

She turned around, and laughed nervously when she saw Tomoko starting to sweat.

'_Is it just me? Or is she acting even WEIRDER than the last time I saw her? What's her angle? Is there something more going on here? Am I being pranked or something?' _Tomoko had to force herself to calm down, or as much as she could in her delirious state. '_It's fine, don't think too much into-HOLY HELL!"_

She had been too distracted that by the time she came back to reality, Megumi was right in her personal space. Her rose scented perfume smacked Tomoko in the face. And Kuroki was astounded how good it smelled.

She looked up to see Megumi staring down at her, and her gaze was making her anxious.

"Tomoko-chan," Megumi whispered, trying valiantly to hide any hidden meaning in her tone. "Would you like to go to the new theme park with me?"

The new theme park? Tomoko tried to think up of anything relating to what Megumi asked. She wasn't that sociable, so it was difficult for her to know what theme park Megumi was talking about.

She looked at Megumi again, and noticed her friendly smile. Seriously, she looked so innocent and cute. Tomoko briefly wondered if her class rep had a boyfriend.

She decided to cast that thought aside. It would depress her to know, because since Yuu-chan had a boyfriend, finding out that Megumi was in the same boat would make her feel even more alienated from the female society.

Oh wait…Megumi asked her a question, right? What was it again? Oh yes, the theme park! She wanted to go to the theme park…but why ask her? She was a first year; they didn't have much relation to each other.

"Uh…I-Imae-senpai?"

Although Megumi didn't like the whole formality thing with her crush, she decided to allow it for the time being. It would be a bad move to take things too fast at this stage (it nearly ended terribly with her flashing her underwear earlier).

"Yes, Tomoko-chan?" Megumi responded, more relaxed.

'_Okay, that's weird. She's acting…normal again? Seriously, what is going on here?'_ Tomoko wondered. She filed that little tidbit for later and decided to get things in the open. "A-are you asking…me to go with you to the theme park?"

It seemed so unreal. She never had friends at school for more than half the year. And then suddenly, when she had adjusted to the routine of scheming messed up ways to gain popularity, Megumi shows up, form literally out of nowhere, and hangs around her? That sounded like one of the eroge dating sims she hid in her closet… Look, when you're lonely and freaky and just plain hard to look at, you pick up a few things. It wasn't as if she was a full blown lesbian. But now and then, she did wander if it was easier to swing for the other team…Until she came to the sex part…

"Yes, I am. Would you like to go with me?" Megumi interrupted Tomoko.

Tomoko looked at her, partly in bewilderment. "W-why?"

'_Damn, I'll really need to work on that shyness of hers when we're dating,' _Megumi thought. Don't get her wrong; she had absolutely nothing against it. It made her Tomoko-chan all the cuter, but she was a bit afraid of people taking advantage of her.

"I want to hang out with you. I see you all the time at school and we never get much time to just talk. I felt like this was the perfect event to get to know each other better." Once again, Megumi mentally praised herself for being so smooth. She didn't come off as a desperate girl trying very hard to get Tomoko to fall in love with her. Nah, desperate will be for later.

That actually sounded very…nice to Tomoko. If she had to be honest, she hadn't pegged Megumi to be a genuinely nice person initially. In the beginning, Megumi was just one of the many cute bitches that fuelled her ire. Just look at her! She must have been every male's wet dream, and every female's envy, yet she wasn't snobbish or even cynical?

Yep, too much anime.

Tomoko thought about it. It was the perfect opportunity to actually see how a popular girl like Megumi interacted with the outside world. Yes, seeing first hand popularity at its work would give her vital information on what _she_ was lacking.

"I-I'd be honoured," she said. Considering how much the atmosphere had mellowed down, she looked a lot more relaxed. The only dirty thoughts going on in her head were images of Megumi's black lingerie. She was dressed to kill, and Tomoko wondered if that provocative attire was for a lucky man in Imae's life.

What a lucky bastard he must have been to tap that kind of ass.

Megumi's smile broadened. This was perfect, everything was going according to plan.

"That's great. I'll wait outside while you change."

"W-wait! Y-you want to go now?!"

Megumi paused, giving her a curious look. "Of course. The earlier, the better. I'm sure there should be a huge line already."

"Oh…"

Giving her one softer smile, Megumi left the room.

Even in her predicament, Tomoko had to admit that Megumi wasn't so bad.

She reminded her a bit of Yuu-chan… Yuu-chan… Yuu-chan.

Wait…

Ms Kuroki was watching television while wiping the floor. She was stopped by her doorbell.

She went and opened the front door. It took her sometime to recognise the person on the other side.

"Hello, Kuroki-san, It's a pleasure to see you again."

Ms Kuroki peered at the girl, trying her hardest to recall why she looked so familiar. "I'm very sorry, but do I know you?"

"Oh! It's been a long time since I've seen you, so I can understand why you're confused. It's me, Yuu!" she said excitedly.

Ms Kuroki blinked a few times, then her eyes widened in recognition. "Oh my, is that really you, Yuu-chan?"

Yuu nodded her head and grinned. "Hai~, it's me."

"My goodness, I don't even recognise you anymore. Look at you!"

"Hehehe! Yeah, I'm pretty sure Mokocchi felt the same way when she saw me the first time, too."

"I bet. I hope she hasn't given you any trouble."

Yuu's face shifted to nostalgic. "Not at all. She's as amazing as always. And it felt so good to see her again."

Ms Kuroki gave her an incredulous stare. "Really? Well, that's nice, I guess. So you came to see her?"

Yuu beamed, looking a bit too happy. "Yes. I wanted to take her-"

"Okay! Kuroki-san, Tomoko-chan and I are ready to go!"

Yuu paused her statement, she looked over Tomoko's mother's shoulder. There, she saw something she wasn't expecting. It was Tomoko alright, with someone else.

"Mokocchi?" Yuu called, her body frozen in place, face blank.

Tomoko focused on her, and her eyes widened. "Yuu-chan! I knew I forgot something important."

'_Something important?' _Megumi mentally reiterated. She was astounded that Tomoko didn't stutter at all in her sentence. She turned to this _Yuu-chan_ person. Who was she? What was her relationship with Tomoko?

'_Don't go overboard, Megumi. It's probably nothing big… But you better damned well keep your distance, _Yuu-chan,_ or whatever_._ Tomoko-chan is MINE!'_ Imae briefly wondered where that came from. She wasn't the possessive type. She didn't belief that was something healthy… But – in her defence – she wasn't the dating type until Tomoko stole her heart. Maybe a little possessiveness was natural in a relationship…right?

Yuu-chan hadn't said a word. Her gaze kept shifting from Tomoko to Megumi. In all the months they hanged out, Tomoko had never mentioned another girl on the side. In fact, Yuu had been certain it was just the two of them together. Of course she had many girlfriends at school that she hanged out with, but Tomoko wasn't any of them. Tomoko was special. She had a place in her heart that could never be replaced.

Worse yet, Yuu intended for them to hang out together,_ just the two of them. _ Another girl's presence wasn't at all planned.

For Tomoko, she had no idea where the sudden tension came from, but she could feel it.

Yuu tried; she tried so valiantly to be normal, to be okay seeing another girl holding Tomoko's arm, but she couldn't help but force a smile at the pair. "Hey, Mokocchi! How are you?!"

Tomoko smiled back, failing to read the signals. "I-I'm good, Yuu-chan… Sorry, I forgot you were coming."

She didn't mean for it to come out the way it did, so she was surprised when she saw hurt flash in Yuu's eyes. "I-I mean, I remembered just now before I left. I was planning on calling you."

Megumi's gaze remained on Yuu, watching her intently. She wanted to judge for herself whether Yuu was a possible threat to her and Tomoko's future. So far, all readings came back negative.

Megumi smiled. "Sorry, it was my fault. I surprised Tomoko with a visit and that must have distracted her."

Yuu looked at her, a bit of relief flooding her face. "Oh… Well, I'm Naruse Yuu, and you are?"

"Imae Megumi, nice to meet you."

"You too… What's your relationship with Mokocchi?"

"Mokocchi?" Megumi repeated. She turned to Tomoko, and was surprised when the girl gave her a helpless shrug.

"She's called me that ever since we were kids."

Ever since we were kids. The words echoed in Megumi's consciousness. _'Oh my god! They're childhood friends? Should I be worried? It doesn't look like she's interested in Tomoko-chan… I really hope that's the case. And not only that, Tomoko's completely relaxed when Yuu is present!'_

If Yuu _was _really into Tomoko like that, then Megumi knew she would have her work cut out for her. The girl was a bombshell. Where her advantage was her delicate figure, Naruse Yuu beat her in the boob department.

'_Is Tomoko-chan into that kind of stuff?'_

She shook her head, coming back to reality. "We are…just friends, right Tomoko-chan?"

Tomoko nodded in agreement; it was both heart-warming and crushing to Megumi. _'Now I know how those people felt when I friendzoned them. I hate this feeling.'_

Yuu nodded, but her gaze was still somewhat suspicious. "Okay."

Tomoko was confused with how Yuu was acting. She constantly shifted from casual to-

"Are you girls going to keep standing here? I still have to clean the floor," Ms Kuroki reminded the teens.

They all exchanged looks. Neither Yuu nor Megumi were up for finding out each other's plans of activities.

Unfortunately, Tomoko couldn't be bothered. "Yuu-chan, Imae-senpai and I were going to this new theme park. Do you wanna come?"

Yuu's face flashed to shock, which was missed by her Mokocchi, before it turned normal. "You guys are going out?"

"Yeah, and you can come with us… I-if it's okay with you, Imae-senpai."

'_Oh, Tomoko-chan. Even if it's cute…why do you stutter at me and not her?!'_ It was childish for her to wail about that, but it wasn't fair, really. Yuu had a head start! And then her mind caught up with her at what Tomoko asked.

Uh-oh.

"Uh… well… Tomoko-chan, do you really think Yuu-san would want to come."

"Yes, I would," Yuu answered. Her normally cheerful face dawned a frown.

Megumi frowned as well. Something about Yuu was strange.

"That's great, Yuu-chan. And look, you're already dressed so nicely," Tomoko praised. But she frowned in worry when Yuu looked away.

"I didn't dress up just for kicks," Yuu whispered. She wore a white top that showed a considerable amount of cleavage, blue jeans that hugged her body and showed off her delicate, enticing frame; on her feet were black boots. Her hair looked extra relaxed and framed her face adoringly. She looked ready for a date.

'_Hell,'_ Tomoko thought, '_If I was into girls, then Yuu-chan would be the first on my hit list.'_

Perish the thought.

"What? What did you say, Yuu-chan?" Tomoko asked.

Mentally sighing, Yuu fixed Tomoko with a reassuring smile. "It's nothing, Mokocchi. Shall we get going?"

* * *

When they did arrive at the theme park, the last thing Tomoko expected was the turn up of the crowd. It was like the entire town was here. That in itself wasn't the worse thing for Tomoko – who clearly had social issues. No. The worst part of this whole thing was something she didn't see coming no matter what.

"Uh… I-I kind of feel out of place. There are a lot of people holding hands."

True to her word, the place was filled with couples. It looked like it was made only for partners. There were a lot of heart shaped rides and love themed events. It was damn awkward.

She nervously looked up at her class rep, silently asking what was going on.

Megumi turned her head and coughed conspiratorially. Things would have been so much better for her if Yuu wasn't on Tomoko's other side. Now her whole plan had gone up in smoke. But she wasn't going to give up. She straightened herself and offered an apologetic smile.

"Just ignore them. We're here for the rides, not for everyone else."

Yuu had been extremely silent the entire time. She stared robotically ahead of her, eyeing all the couples. It briefly made her forlorn, but she hid it well.

Tomoko looked at her, and Yuu was surprised that she noticed her at all.

"Yuu-chan, are you okay?"

Yuu stared back at her for a long while, before she gave her a small smile. "I'm fine. Let's go!"

The rides were nice and they were having fun. But when Tomoko decided to be brave and try the attraction's rollercoaster, things didn't work out well.

"Are you sure, Mokocchi? What about your fear of heights?"

Megumi silently cursed Yuu for knowing that. She didn't know that, and she had also planned on taking Tomoko to the Ferris wheel.

"It's cool, Yuu-chan! That was a long time ago!"

Even so, that didn't stop her from throwing up after.

She wiped her mouth and rose from the sink. She shouldn't have done that. She shouldn't have bit off more than she could chew. The rollercoaster was an absolute nightmare. She had never screamed so hard before.

She looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. God, she looked awful… or was that how she usually looked?

Nevertheless, she felt like she had her fill for one day. She wobbled out of the bathroom. It wasn't easy to get the dizziness out of her system. It was so bad that she tripped, and would have hit the ground, too, if it wasn't for gentle arms keeping her upright.

"Oh, Tomoko-chan, you poor thing. I should have never let you do that to yourself," Megumi rasped. Her naked worry was all too visible, but she refused to hide it at all.

She held Tomoko close, even when the latter reeked of vomit. She helped Tomoko to a nearby bench. Once settled, Megumi gently caressed Tomoko's back, trying to convey her concern.

That felt pretty good to Tomoko, and she unconsciously leaned into the touch.

Yuu watched everything happen. Her fingers flexed occasionally, her body jerked now and then, and her face looked completely unhappy. But whether she was unhappy that Tomoko put herself through all that, or that Megumi was touching her like _that_, no one could be sure.

She went to the bench and sat opposite Tomoko. Now Kuroki was sandwiched between two extremely attractive girls; said girl was oblivious to any of it.

Hunched over, Tomoko's mind rebooted and she shot to her feet. "Oh crap! I left my bag at the rollercoaster!"

"It's okay," Megumi chimed in, rising to her feet as well. "I can get it for you if you'd like."

Tomoko's face flushed tremendously. She did_ not_ want _anyone_ getting their hands on her bag. It would be too mortifying if someone discovered what she had hidden.

"N-no! I-it's fine, Imae-senpai! I can get it myself!" Tomoko laughed crazily, eyes darting everywhere, completely surprising both Megumi and Yuu."

She hurried away from them, intending to keep what little left of her dignity.

Megumi watched the love of her life leave. She couldn't help but pout like a scolded toddler.

Resigning herself to fate, she sat on the bench again, intent on waiting for her partner.

"… You seem awfully close to Mokocchi, Imae-san."

Megumi turned to Yuu. If she had to be honest, she had momentarily forgotten about the girl's presence.

"I should hope it comes across that way. I care very much about Tomoko-chan."

Imae was a bit put off with the stare Yuu was giving her. What was her problem, anyway?

"You said that you're just friends, right? Nothing else?" Yuu asked, although it sounded more like an interrogation.

Megumi was surprised at the behaviour. She had been under the impression that there was no visible animosity between them.

"What would it matter if there was anything else?" she retorted, a bit unnerved with Yuu's attitude.

"Just tell me the truth…please."

Megumi looked around. After confirming that Tomoko wasn't in sight, she decided to come clean – with conditions.

"Do you promise not to tell anyone, including Tomoko-chan?"

Giving her a perplexed stare, Yuu nodded her head. "I promise."

"… I'm infatuated with Tomoko-chan. But I haven't confessed anything to her yet. I had planned on using this day to gain points, as they say."

Watching as the colour rapidly drained from Yuu's face, Megumi came to a conclusion. Yuu must not like the whole Idea of same sex relationships.

But if Megumi had to be frank, what happened between her and Tomoko was none of _her _business.

"I gather you must be against that," Megumi surmised. "I guess you're in opposition to that type of relationship. Or maybe you think my feelings for her aren't genuine. But I assure you, Tomoko-chan is the first person I've ever fallen in love with. And I would do anything to make her happy. You are her childhood friend, and the last thing I want is for us to dislike each other. Please understand that I will never hurt Tomoko-chan in any way."

Yuu's bangs covered her eyes, and Megumi couldn't be sure what was going through her mind at that moment. The class rep just sat in place, willing to wait patiently for Tomoko's return.

"I… get what you said. But I was really hoping that I was wrong about your feelings for her."

Megumi turned to Yuu. She was stricken by the bombshell's intense gaze.

"And why is that? You don't approve of us?" Megumi queried.

"I don't," Yuu answered bluntly.

Megumi's patience was wavering as well. She furrowed her brows. "That's pretty selfish of you. Who are you to stand in the way of us? Who are you to choose what's right and wrong between us?"

"I'm Mokocchi's best friend."

"Then shouldn't you be happy for her? She has someone that's willing to do anything for her; someone willing to give herself to her."

"She doesn't need you."

Megumi scowled. She had no idea that someone that looked so innocent could be so rude. "That's uncalled for. You don't know me at all. What is your problem with me, anyway? Why you being so vehement about this?"

Yuu bit her lip. Her glare mellowed into a small frown. "I'm her best friend."

"You've already said that. I don't see what you have to do with her love life."

"… I can't let you have her."

'_What the hell is that supposed to mean_?' Megumi pondered. "It's not like I'm steeling her away from you. She'll still be your best friend."

"I don't just want her to be my best friend anymore!"

… What?

Megumi's eyes were as wide as possible. She stared at Yuu in utter disbelief.

Yuu didn't hold back. "That's right, I'm in love with Mokocchi, too!"

Megumi's mouth hung open. She couldn't believe what she just heard. How was this possible? Yuu-chan hadn't exhibited any sort of infatuated feelings for Tomoko-chan. Megumi had been certain that Tomoko and Yuu's relationship was purely platonic...

Well, shit.

As if coming into terms with her outburst, Yuu held her face in her hands and blushed. "I didn't know before. I mean, we were just friends. But she was there for more all the time. She cares a lot about me. My boyfriend and I would always get into fights, and being with him made me miserable. But Mokocchi… Mokocchi never hurts me. And… and I'm sure she likes me back. She always asks me what panties I'm wearing and gropes me whenever she has the chance!"

In Yuu's animated rambling, Megumi was able to pick up the words panties and grope. She had no idea Tomoko could be so frisky. It was something a perverted part of her mind filed away for later.

Yuu's face was a bright shade of red, and she seemed to lose track of herself as she continued. "I mean, don't get me wrong. At first, I thought it was weird that she was _really _interested in my underwear and she liked touching me a lot. I wasn't really into that whole thing because I didn't understand, but it makes sense to me now. She makes me feel good about myself, and not some 'babe with a great set of hooters!'… My _ex-boyfriend_ said that. He only dated me for my body-"

"Okay, enough!" Megumi interrupted her. This was getting weirder and weirder with each time passing.

Yuu stopped her ranting and breathed in and out. Once calm, she glared at Megumi. "I won't let you have her."

Megumi was forced to glare right back. "I don't think it's your choice to make."

Whether she knew it or not, Kuroki Tomoko had just inadvertently become the focal point of a love triangle.

* * *

_**You've been asking for it all year. Some of you have even cursed me for taking too long. Mwahaha! But I finally have the love to write this again. It took a while to shrug off my writer's block and get back to it. So for those of you that were hoping and praying that this story wasn't dead, your hopes have been realised!**_

_**Oohh! And drama is already in store for our poor Kuroki-san. Can't wait for the next update, huh? You'll probably get it sooner than you think. R&amp;R!**_

_**Until then, I hope you enjoyed and happy reading!**_


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